Omaha police have arrested two people for gunning down a Central High School teenager Monday.
Homicide officers, the Metro Fugitive Task Force, and US Marshals arrested Karina Rodriguez-Lopez, 18, and a sixteen-year-old minor in the murder of 18 year-old Gustavo Soto near 16th and Yates.
Investigators were back at the vacant lot Wednesday where police found Soto shot to death in a car just after 8 p.m. Monday. April Spencer lives nearby. She is upset over three recent murders in the area because her daughter used to play in a field a block away.
“Kids have a right to play and to be free and grow,” she said. “People are too comfortable there doing what they're doing. I don't know the answer.”
Jami Anders-Kemp and a small army of community members are working toward a solution behind the scenes.
“We need good law enforcement, good community policing, but we are talking about getting those resources to the table that are necessary,” Anders-Kemp said.
The group has discussed recent upward trends in the neighborhood, that has been regarded as quiet. They are also focusing on crime prevention efforts near 30th and U and the Miller Park neighborhood near Florence.
Leaders have met with property managers of nearby apartment complexes, educating them on available resources. They also are working with other property owners to clear overgrown lots that can contribute to criminal activity. They are also targeting teenagers, with a goal of keeping them busy and safe through summer employment opportunities.
“[We are also targeting youth, and] definitely getting the youth-serving organizations around here engaged,” Anders-Kemp said. “We want to make sure we get in touch with the village stake holders that say, ‘This is my village. I care about this.””
